Predicted finish: 5th — Lanning keeps them in the hunt, but the Kapp-sized hole leaves them just short
Last summer the Stars finally ended a five-year finals drought. They won five games, finished fourth, then lost the Knockout to the Scorchers in Perth. Meg Lanning led the competition for runs and, for the first time in a while, the Stars looked like a team rather than a collection of big names. Twelve months on there is a new coach in Yorkshire’s Richard Pyrah, Lanning is back as captain after Annabel Sutherland stepped aside, and there is a gaping hole where Marizanne Kapp used to stand. I have them fifth: in the race until the final week, but not quite good enough to finish in the four.
The squad
The Stars have 14 of their 15 list spots filled heading into Thursday’s opener, with Sasha Moloney and Ines McKeon the uncontracted names from last season.
Head coach: Richard Pyrah
Captain: Meg Lanning
| Batters | All-rounders | Bowlers |
|---|---|---|
| Meg Lanning (c) | Annabel Sutherland | Sophie Day |
| Amy Jones (ENG) (wk) | Kim Garth | Maisy Gibson |
| Naomi Stalenberg | Dani Gibson (ENG) | Georgia Prestwidge |
| Indigo Noble | Charlie Dean (ENG) | |
| Rhys McKenna | ||
| Carly Leeson | ||
| Zoe Samuel |
Ins: Charlie Dean (England), Naomi Stalenberg (from Renegades), Carly Leeson, Zoe Samuel
Outs: Marizanne Kapp (South Africa duty), Maia Bouchier (to Strikers), Sophie Reid (to Renegades), Ella Hayward (to Hurricanes)
Kapp is the loss that matters. She pulled out of the final year of her deal to focus on South Africa’s multi-format series against India, which starts on December 9. That takes away a new-ball bowler and a middle-order batter in one hit, and there is no like-for-like replacement on the market.
The Stars’ answer is Charlie Dean. England’s vice-captain is an off-spinning allrounder playing her first Big Bash season. She won’t replicate Kapp’s pace, but she gives Pyrah a third quality spinner alongside Sophie Day and Maisy Gibson, and she can bat.
Amy Jones and Dani Gibson both return, which matters for continuity. Naomi Stalenberg crosses town from the Renegades, Carly Leeson joins her fourth WBBL club, and 19-year-old Zoe Samuel arrives off her debut WNCL season with Victoria.
The departures thin out the batting. Reid has gone to the Renegades and Bouchier, whose 67 off 40 balls against the Sixers last season showed what she offered as a late replacement, is now in Adelaide.
Analysis
Strengths
It starts with Lanning. Nearly three years out of international cricket, she made a league-leading 479 runs last season. The highlight was 135 off 74 balls against the Sixers at North Sydney Oval, the highest score of her T20 career. That night she and Rhys McKenna put on 159 for the first wicket and the Stars posted 4-219, the third-highest total in WBBL history. Moving McKenna to the top was one of last season’s smartest calls.
The bowling core is strong. In that same game Kim Garth took 4-3 as the Sixers were bowled out for 42. Sophie Day was back near the top of the wicket-taking charts. Both made cricket.com.au’s team of the tournament alongside Lanning.
Then there’s Sutherland. Freed from the captaincy, she can concentrate on being the allrounder she is for Australia, and Pyrah already knows her well from their time together at Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred.
Weaknesses
The batting leans on Lanning. In the return game against the Sixers she fell for eight and the Stars were 4-30. Only Bouchier’s counter-attack got them back in it, and Bouchier is gone.
There isn’t much power down the order. Even before Kapp withdrew, the club was looking for extra hitting late in the innings. Gibson and Stalenberg now carry most of that load.
The seam attack is thinner. Without Kapp, Garth and Sutherland do the heavy lifting with Prestwidge, Leeson and McKenna in support.
Keeping depth is a risk. With Reid gone and McKeon uncontracted, Jones is the only specialist keeper on the list.
Milestones to watch
- Meg Lanning has 2,726 runs for the Stars. Another 274 makes her the first player to 3,000 for the club.
- Lanning has captained the Stars to 30 wins in 68 matches. Her first win back in charge will be No. 31.
- Annabel Sutherland is the club’s leading wicket-taker on exactly 100, and its leading catcher with 42.
- Charlie Dean is set for her WBBL debut, possibly as early as Thursday night.
The draw
Ten regular-season matches: five at home, four away and one at a neutral venue. Six of the ten are at Junction Oval, because the Renegades also host their derby there. Times are AEDT as listed in the fixture release. Check before match day.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 29 Oct | Hobart Hurricanes (home) | Junction Oval | 7:10pm |
| Sat 31 Oct | Adelaide Strikers (away) | Karen Rolton Oval | 3:40pm |
| Mon 2 Nov | Perth Scorchers (home) | Junction Oval | 7:10pm |
| Fri 6 Nov | Sydney Sixers (home) | Junction Oval | 7:10pm |
| Sun 8 Nov | Perth Scorchers (neutral) | North Sydney Oval | 5:10pm |
| Thu 12 Nov | Brisbane Heat (home) | Junction Oval | 3:40pm |
| Mon 16 Nov | Sydney Thunder (away) | Drummoyne Oval | 7:10pm |
| Sun 22 Nov | Melbourne Renegades (home) | Junction Oval | 7:10pm |
| Thu 26 Nov | Sydney Sixers (away) | North Sydney Oval | 7:10pm |
| Sat 28 Nov | Melbourne Renegades (away) | Junction Oval | 3:40pm |
The start is brutal. The defending champions on opening night, a day game in Adelaide less than 48 hours later, then a rematch of last year’s Knockout against the Scorchers on Melbourne Cup eve. Five games in 11 days will tell Pyrah quickly what he has.
The middle stretch is where points must be banked. Four home games out of the first six is a real advantage, and the Heat, winless last season, look the most gettable opponent on paper.
The run home is where the season will be decided. Two derbies in six days sandwich a trip to North Sydney Oval. With reported plans to fold the two Melbourne brands into a single franchise in future, it would be fitting if fourth or fifth came down to the last Stars-Renegades clash of the summer.
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